The future of livestock farming and climate change
Climate change threatens both food security and rural livelihoods as changing rainfall patterns, increased frequency of extreme weather events and new disease outbreaks abound. However, the global animal food chain and associated land-use change are contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. Current policies aimed at curbing these may well be insufficient and ineffective. The EU-funded ANIMALCHANGE (An integration of mitigation and adaptation options for sustainable livestock production under climate change) initiative was set up to improve emissions estimates and emissions reduction methods in livestock systems. The project extended beyond Europe's borders as researchers applied their methods to a wide range of systems across Africa and Latin America. To this end, project members worked on a suite of scenarios, models, assessments and policy support tools at the farm and regional scales. Researchers updated and improved upon many models of livestock emissions and adaptation-mitigation strategies relating to livestock. Partners tested the models and findings of ANIMALCHANGE at 24 case study farms around Europe, as well as in Kenya and several South American countries. All of the findings were collated into several reports that can inform policy decisions in the area of adaptation and mitigation. The team identified the most sustainable scenarios in terms of livestock production, deforestation and economic productivity for further development. The project also worked to reduce uncertainties in greenhouse gas emissions from livestock production in different regions. ANIMALCHANGE outcomes will help European livestock production adapt to challenges posed by climate change and also support the mitigation of emissions from European livestock systems. A key project impact will be a better informed public and support for science-based perception of the role of livestock systems in climate change.
Keywords
Livestock, farming, climate change, food security, animal food chain, land-use change
